Customer Service
CANONBURY CHAMBERS COMPLAINT HANDLING PROCEDURE
RECEIVING YOUR COMMENTS, AND MY COMPLAINTS HANDLING PROCEDURE
My aim is to give you the best possible service that I can give at all times. However, problems or misunderstandings can sometimes occur. If you do have a concern or complaint about any of the services provided by me to you as part of my paid instruction by you, please do not hesitate to contact me to let me know as soon as possible.
Chambers will only consider complaints 12 months from the date of the act or omission being complained about; or 12 months one year from the date when you should have realised that there was cause for complaint.
I will consider all concerns and complaints as expeditiously and fairly as possible. In the first instance I aim to resolve complaints on an informal basis.
If it is not resolved informally then you will be invited to write to me and make a formal complaint so that it can be investigated. The maximum time from submitting your complaint to the writing of a decision letter (final response) is 8 weeks. (see below for time frames).
If you are unhappy with my final response to your complaint, and we are unable to resolve the complaint with you, or if your complaint has not been dealt with in 8 weeks, then we can consider Alternate Dispute Resolution e.g. mediation.
Alternatively, you can complain to the Legal Ombudsman.
The Legal Ombudsman (LeO). The Office of the Legal Ombudsman is the regulatory body which deals with complaints regarding Barristers and Solicitors in England and Wales, and offers a free and independent service, it generally deals with complaints from individuals, small businesses and charities. https://www.legalombudsman.org.uk
You can check on whether you can use the service at the following web address
https://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/?faqs=who-can-use-our-service
Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first. Leo ordinarily expects you to allow 8 weeks for chambers to send a final decision letter, before you put in your complaint, but in exceptional cases you may be eligible under their scheme rules (4.27) to put in your complaint before the expiry of the 8 week time limit. https://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/information-centre/corporate-publications/scheme-rules/
Complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must be made:
No more than one year from the date of the act or omission being complained about;
No more than one year from the date when you should have realised that there was cause for complaint; and within 6 months of receiving a final response to your complaint.
CHAMBERS COMPLAINTS PROCESS
You can contact me by telephone, by e-mail or by letter.
Contact me:
Canonbury Chambers
The Chambers of Glenda Vencatachellum
37 Clare Lane
Islington
London N1 3DB
Tel: 020 3092 8869
Mob: 07791 855 303 preferred contact number
E-mail: grv@canonburychambers.co.uk or canonburychambers@gmail.com
Documents can be sent by Royal Mail, or e-mail.
Please be advised that Canonbury Chambers does not accept electronic service of foundation litigation documents.
As a sole practitioner, I do not have anyone else in chambers to refer your concern or complaint to. I am always willing to consider consulting with colleagues from other chambers to get an alternative view point in respect of any comments or complaints received.
Complaints made by telephone (informal complaints)
If you wish to make a complaint by telephone, I will make a note of the details of your complaint and what you would like done about it. I will endeavour to resolve matters with you on the telephone. If after discussion you are satisfied with the outcome, I will make a note (written record) of the outcome, check that you are satisfied, and note (make a written record) that you are satisfied.
If you are not satisfied you will be invited to make a formal written complaint within 14 days of the telephone discussion regarding the complaint. Kindly follow the written complaints procedure set out below.
Formal Complaints made in writing
It would be helpful if you could include the following details in any written comments or complaint that you wish to make:
1. Your contact details.
2. The date(s) of the event(s) about which a complaint is made.
3. The name of any Solicitor who was also instructed in relation to the events about which complaint is made.
4. The reason(s) for the complaint.
5. Options you consider might be appropriate to resolve your complaint.
6. Your preferred method of communication in handling your complaint.
Time Frames
Upon receipt of a written complaint I will:
(a) Reply in writing, normally within 2 days, to acknowledge the complaint and inform you how I shall be dealing with it.
(b) On the first instance I will aim to Reply within 28 days, (4 weeks) providing a decision letter, responding in full to your complaint. I will offer you the opportunity to meet with you if that is appropriate.
If more time is needed I will respond and explain that a further 28 days (4 weeks) is needed to respond.
The total time from the time of making a written complaint to the making a final decision letter will not exceed, 56 days (8 weeks).
My final response (decision letter) will set out:
• The nature and scope of my investigation.
• My conclusion on each complaint and the basis for my conclusion; and
• If I find that you are justified in your complaint, my proposals for resolving the complaint.
Confidentiality
All conversations and documents relating to a complaint will be treated as confidential. Telephone conversations may be recorded for training and quality purposes. As part of the commitment to client care, a written record will be made of any complaint and all documents generated by the complaint will be kept for a period of six years. I will review complaints at least once a year to ensure that I maintain good standards of service.
Disclosure will be to only such persons as it is deemed necessary to meet the needs of the complaint. It is important to note that this may include any person other than me about whom you have complained.
After the 8 week time frame or on receipt of a decision letter if you remain dissatisfied, then we can consider Alternate Dispute Resolution eg mediation, or you can complain to the Legal Ombudsman (or in exceptional cases before the 8 week expiry limit, see rule 4.25 https://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/information-centre/corporate-publications/scheme-rules of the LeO scheme. For further information on the how to contact the Legal Ombudsman see below.
Use of ADR/Mediation to deal with your complaint
If you are unhappy with my final written response, alternative complaints handling bodies such as Small Claims Mediation also exist which are competent to deal with complaints about legal services. If you wish to use small claims mediation, please contact me to discuss this. We need to be mindful of time limits.
If we choose to use mediation, neither of us is required to accept the proposed resolution. If mediation does not resolve the complaint, you may still make a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman (provided you fall within their jurisdiction and you do so within the time limit).
Legal Ombudsman (LeO)
https://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/?faqs=who-can-use-our-service. For further information on the how to contact the Legal Ombudsman see below.
After the 8 week time frame (or in exceptional cases before see below rule 4.25 of the Leo scheme), if you are still dissatisfied with my final response, then you may refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman.
The Legal Ombudsman will require you to have made a complaint to chambers before investigating further,
You must refer your complaint to LeO within six months of my final response.
Full details of how to proceed can be found on their website https://www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Please access the following web page below for LeO's decision data where you can find details of those providers who have received an ombudsman's decision in the previous 12 months. https://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/information-centre/data-centre/ombudsman-decision-data/
The Office of the Legal Ombudsman’s contact details are:
Address: PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ
Telephone: 0300 555 0333
E-mail: general.counsel@legalombudsman.org.uk
Website: https://www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Bar Standards Board
You may contact the Bar Standards Board (“BSB”) if you have comments or a complaint about me in a matter in which I did not advise or represent you.
The BSB is entitled to inspect complaints documents and seek information about the complaint when discharging its auditing and monitoring functions.
The Bar Standards Board website: https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/
Complaints regarding my services when sitting as a Mediator
It is hoped that you would not find cause to complain about my services, but in the unlikely event that you do, then kindly raise it with me first.
If following an oral discussion you are not satisfied then kindly write to me formally at 37 Clare Lane, Islington, London N1 3DB, or email me grv@canonburychambers.co.uk or canonburychambers@gmail.com.
Kindly provide the following
(1) your full name and address.
(2) Details regarding your complaint
(3) Any written documentation of information in support of your complaint.
(4) What you would like to happen to put matters right.
I will acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days of receipt.
Thereafter all complaints will be investigated and responded to within 21 days of receipt. If further time is required to deal with your complaint, then you will be notified of this in writing.
I have applied for registration with the Civil Mediation Council. Once accepted it will mean that any investigation will be carried out by somebody other than me.
If the response provided is not accepted by the complainant then the complainant can appeal to the CMC on certain grounds. Details of this process can be found by clicking on this link https://civilmediation.org/complaints/
